Page 125 of Love By The Falls

I nod and squeeze her hand before leaving the room and inquiring with the nurse about the baby. “She’s in the nursery. Sage’s been looking after her while Charlotte regains her strength.”

“Which room is that?”

“Just down the hall.”

I find Sage in the nursery, and she stands from the rocking chair. “Is she awake?”

“Yes,” I say and smile. “She’s good and asking to see the baby.”

Sage walks up to a crib and lifts a tiny bundle wrapped in a pink blanket. “Here she is,” she says, smiling at the baby.

She places her in my arms and my muscles freeze. “I’ve never held a baby before. What if I hurt her?”

“You won’t hurt her,” says Sage, fixing the blanket. “Go take her to her mother.”

Slowly, I walk back to Charlotte’s room. When she sees us come in, she raises her chin, trying to catch a glimpse of her.

Carefully, I lower the baby into Charlotte’s waiting arms and finally, for the first time, look down at our daughter.

Her face is small and round. Her eyes open ever so slightly and she fusses when she looks up at the light. I can’t tell what color they are, but her lips are red and her skin is olive. She looks like nothing I’ve seen before, and yet she’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever laid eyes on next to Charlotte.

“You’re right, she’s gorgeous,” says Charlotte

I move the blanket away from the baby’s face and a tiny hand shoots out and clasps my finger. Her grip is strong, and my finger turns white at the tip. But instead of pain, my eyes water from an overwhelming sense of gratitude. “Thank you. You’ve given me a life I couldn’t even imagine for myself.”

She looks up at me, and a tear falls down her cheek. “I’m so happy right now.”

“We’re moving into the house together as a family. I don’t want to miss another moment.”

“What about work?”

“I’ll schedule meetings all in one day and the rest of the week I’ll work from home. Hell, I’ll even hire ahelicopter for anyone who wants to meet here. Anything not to be away from you.”

“Oh, Caleb. You don’t have to do that for me.”

“It’s not just for you. It’s for me, too, and this little one.”

I look down at her cherub face. “What should we call her?”

Charlotte smiles. “What about Katherine?”

I think about it and catch a glint in Charlotte’s eyes. “Why are you smirking?”

“Because we can call her Kitt for short.”

“Kitt?” I laugh, loving the reference. “It’s perfect.”

*

Working from home has been a lot easier than I thought it would be. I set up an office in the house. It’s a corner room with plenty of windows and a beautiful view of the river below. A few partners have taken me up on my offer to fly them in, and I can’t get them to leave; they love it up here. Who knows, Cedar Brook Falls may have an influx of city slickers wanting to settle down here.

There’s a knock on my door, and I expect to find Charlotte with Kitt in her arms, but it’s Charlie instead.

“Hey, is everything all right?”

“Yeah. Are you busy?”

I have at least three other contracts to look over, but Charlie’s never interrupted my work. I figure this must be important.

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